Degrowth critiques the global capitalist system which pursues economic growth at all costs, causing human exploitation and environmental destruction. It exposes the interconnection of systems of oppression such as capitalism, extractivism, colonialism, and patriarchy. As a social movement, a field of academic research and a practice, degrowth advocates for societies that prioritise social and ecological well-being. It proposes a radical (re)distribution of power, wealth and resources, a reduction in the material size of the global economy, and a shift in common values towards care, solidarity and autonomy. Degrowth means transforming societies to ensure environmental justice and a good life for all within planetary boundaries.
English speakers sometimes find the word ‘degrowth’ problematic and it can lead to misunderstandings. Reading just the word, it has a negative, and for some, a non-ecological connotation. But the origin of the term is anything but that. It is to be found in Latin languages, where “la décroissance” in French or “la decrescita” in Italian refer to a river going back to its normal flow after a disastrous flood. The English word “degrowth” became prominent after the first international degrowth conference in Paris in 2008. It has since then been established in academic writing as well as in the media and is used by social movements and practitioners. An advantage of using a term which does not roll off the tongue easily in English is that it creates disruption. Disruption in a world where the critique of economic growth is a radical position. We distance ourselves from forms of growth critique which do not aim for the good life for all. We object to all right-wing, racist and sexist forms of growth critique.
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